South African Ryan Frank is probably the most renowned green furniture designers in the UK with studios in London and Barcelona. His work has won rave reviews and has been featured in design publications & dailies across the globe. These include Time Magazine's 'Who's Who, The Eco-Guide', Design Quarterly, New Design, Home & Leisure, The Independent and was also selected as 'one to watch' by the 'Observer Faces 2008'. He has won several awards including 'Most sustainable product 2006/07" and 'Most environmentally conscious Company 2008/09 at the Hidden Arts Annual Awards ceremony. His designs are influenced by his cultural background meaning his collection has a depth and texture not always found in contemporary design.

Since the companies' inception in 2005 the key focus of all his designs is sustainability. Ryan takes his environmental responsibility to a new level.

Questions he may ask himself when thinking of new designs include what raw materials should I use? Where does it come from? What are the social implications of extracting the materials? Can they be reused, recycled or is it biodegrade? What is the carbon footprint cost? It is this relentless attention to detail that has bought about truly green products such as Enzo, Isabella, Grapple, Hackney Shelf, Andaz, Zilka (hangers) and his Cork range.

Ryan admits he "strives to apply this core philosophy to each product. It is not always possible and is not easy to achieve, but if a design philosophy factors these ideals in from the very start and not at the end as an afterthought, then this is how we can work towards 'true green' designs. Ideally I would love to live in a world where we don't use virgin materials, but only allow ourselves to use what we already have. Salvaged, reclaimed materials have a fantastic appeal and character, a history that is absent in virgin materials. With these principles built into the design, each product will emerge with sustainability built in as standard .....Default sustainability!"